The animal in question is none other than the wolverine, found in Northern Canada. This is fitting since the superhero Wolverine, played by the famous Aussie actor Hugh Jackman, was born in Alberta.
Wolverines are the largest land-dwelling species of the Mustelidae. Other types of Mustelidaes include badgers, otters, martens, and weasels.
Wolverines are ferocious. They have a reputation for being really strong despite their size, giving them the ability to hunt prey much larger than themselves, such as cattle, caribou, and even moose.
However, wolverines don’t like humans much. They are solitary animals that usually stick to Canada’s remote arctic, alpine, and boreal regions.
Yes, this happened. Once in a lifetime for me. I never expected to see or photograph one in Calgary. Wolverine. Pictures taken April 15 2023. #wolverine #Calgary #Alberta @ParksCanada @NatureAlberta @NatureCanada @NatureYYC pic.twitter.com/VqAjgHkGNu
— Gordon Cooke (@GordonCooke9) April 16, 2023
But not always. Recently a wildlife photographer captured some incredible photos of a wolverine in the most unlikely places. Calgary!
Last month, Gordon Cooke was out and about trying to capture photos of ospreys when he heard a bush rustling near him. At first, Cooke thought it was a porcupine but was awe-struck when a wolverine emerged.
“You might as well say ‘unicorn’ or ‘elephant’ or anything, you know, in Calgary, because it’s getting the same reaction,” Cooke told CTV News Calgary.
Cooke has been a wildlife photographer for 11 years. He claims this wolverine sighting is the peak of his career and would be for most wildlife photographers.
These animals are rare. Scientists estimate there are only 10,000 wolverine adults in Canada.
In an exchange with the Calgary Herald, nature photographer and visual journalist Mike Drew compared the odds of seeing a wolverine to “being struck by lightning while cashing a winning lottery ticket.”
